40th Anniversary Q&A with the Sisters!
To celebrate 40 years, we asked our 4 sisters a few questions to reflect on their life at Bunnies. Here are their answers!
Left to right: Anne, Suzanne, Jeanne, Krystal
How do you feel about reaching our 40th anniversary?
Krystal: I feel like the luckiest person alive. I never imagined we would still be doing what we love after 40 years. We started by simply playing, creating, having fun, and making people happy — and somehow, here we are. Pinch me, it truly feels like a dream!
Suzanne: 40 years went by in a flash when you love what you do, especially with my sisters.
Jeanne: Our 40th anniversary is a remarkable milestone and a real accomplishment for our founders, Krys and Suzanne. What they created from humble beginnings has grown into something meaningful for families around the world. For me, there is a deep sense of pride—and honestly, relief—that we have weathered the many ups and downs of business and arrived here still true to our original spirit.
Anne: WOW! While I have not been here for all 40 years, I have been here 15 years of the 40. I think of all the changes and pivots we have made over the 15 years to be business today, and it makes me marvel. To think of all the changes and pivots required to be made to stay in business for 40 years, it is truly astounding. I am so proud of each and every Bunny who has been part of the journey for all 40 years. I am incredibly proud to be part of a group of people who create products which have become part of a family’s cherished memories.
What is your favorite item in the line right now?
Krystal: My favorite item in our line right now is Thistle. These little bunnies feel like the perfect blend of Hutch Studio and Bunnies by the Bay — soft, sweet, and adorned with the most charming accessories. They truly capture the best of both worlds.
Suzanne: Tweet our sweet little bluebird.
Jeanne: Right now, I’m very fond of Bramble and Thistle. They feel like a bridge back to an earlier chapter in our history when we created dressed collectible plush characters. They have personality, charm, and storytelling built into them—something that has always been part of our brand.
Anne: I am not sure I have one favorite product in the line right now. I tend to have favorites based on the backstory of how an item made a customer, friend or family feel. I have been a Wee Rutabaga fan for I think since it was created. That little item brings happiness to so many people. Its sales results are streaky. Just when you think it will leave the line- we get a big sale and a cherished memory form a customer. I just love Bramble and Thistle because of how they harken back to our one-of-a-kind bunnies. I also remember how much fun the PD team had in developing this product. They are current favorites.
Describe your coworkers in three words.
Krystal: Smart, fun, and flexible.
Suzanne:Talented, dedicated and hard working.
Jeanne: Kind. Hardworking. Creative.
Anne: Hard Working- Love & Kindness- Perseverance
Favorite Bunnies memory?
Krystal: The best part of 40 years? It's hard to choose, but each decade has held something truly special. The first ten years were defined by working alongside our beloved Gram — an irreplaceable time I will always treasure. The second ten years brought the joy of creating highly detailed collectible bunnies, cats, and bears, and the gift of meeting Jeanne, whose support made it possible for us to continue doing what we love. The third ten years were a whirlwind adventure, traveling the world from China to Ireland, opening our Bunny Boutiques inside FAO Schwarz stores. And these last ten years have been spent in my studio, with the freedom to create whatever my hands and heart can dream up — and that is a gift beyond measure.
Suzanne: 1. Doing the Bellevue Art Show and discovering our audience. 2. Building our barn workshop right on the bay. 3. Meeting our soul sister Jeanne and signing a licensing deal with Hallmark. 4. Being a part of FAO stores in New York, Beijing, Milan, Paris, London and Rome with more to come.
Jeanne: Our 40th anniversary is a remarkable milestone and a real accomplishment for our founders, Krys and Suzanne. What they created from humble beginnings has grown into something meaningful for families around the world. For me, there is a deep sense of pride—and honestly, relief—that we have weathered the many ups and downs of business and arrived here still true to our original spirit.
Anne: In 2009-ish: We completed our first Bunnies By The Bay Window at FAO Schwarz in NYC. At the time, the FAO store was located on 5th Ave at the corner of Central Park and across from the Waldorf Astoria. It was prime real estate. We took over 4 LARGE displays for Easter. We create life size bunnies working in a garden, life size bunnies having a tea party, a large Emmitt the duck fishing from a dock, a Bunny arch way and then 4 very large (size of a single garage door) lifestyle images from our catalog. It was epic. Of all the things we did, the part of the display which gained the most feedback was that we brought real soil for the garden. Many New Yorkers were worried the reality of the soil would attract rats and mice. It made many of us chuckle
Also, Back in 2023, at our Retail website anniversary sale event we had our first $20K day and our first $200,000 month. It was a milestone we didn’t think we would make for another year or two It was such a surprise.To make the experience even better we shipped all packages within SLA. The night we clicked over to the $200K, Karen Brayden and I celebrated with a glass of champagne
Do you have a favorite model image from over the years of photoshoots?
Krystal: My favorite model is, of course, my first grandson, Sam. As a baby, his adorable face and image became a full-length sign on the side of a bus in China — I mean, how many grandmothers can say that?!
Suzanne: My favorite images are from our baby catalog covers of my Grandson Grady who’s now 22 and Granddaughter Marley who is just turning 17.
Jeanne: One that always stands out to me was from 2012, which happened to be the Chinese Lunar New Year—the Year of the Rabbit. Our model was Sam Kirkpatrick, and the moment captured the joy and symbolism of the rabbit perfectly. It felt like the universe was smiling on Bunnies that year.
Anne: Any image with Cliff in it. 😉
2. Sam’s catalog cover shot for Year of the Rabbitt our 25th anniversary
3. Mia’s shot with a Blossom Bye Bye Buddy on a Daisy quilt where we had to photo shop her middle finger because she was flipping off the camera was epic
4. Grady’s shot in the little blue sailor suit
What is your favorite interaction with a customer?
Krystal: One of my favorite interactions with customers is receiving photos of little ones who have grown so deeply attached to their buddy, blanket, or stuffed toy that it is nearly in shreds. To me, that is the highest compliment we could ever receive — it means our products have been truly loved. Those photos make my heart so happy.
Suzanne: Our collectible customers were always so passionate about our bunnies that one woman actually built a spare room to hold her collection.
Jeanne: One of my most memorable moments happened in our FAO Schwarz store in New York when we introduced a new feature called Handwriting Embroidery. Customers could literally sign their name, and we would embroider that handwriting onto the bunny’s ear.
One afternoon, a woman who was about to celebrate her 80th birthday came into the store on her way to a party her six grandchildren were hosting for her. She felt overwhelmed and wanted to give them something meaningful—something they could keep as a memory.
Our team showed her the handwriting embroidery. She chose six bunnies—one for each grandchild. On one ear we embroidered the child’s name in her handwriting, and on the other ear we stitched her signature.
As the embroiderer worked, a small crowd gathered to watch. The woman turned to everyone and said:
“When I’m no longer here, my grandchildren will still see their names in my handwriting and know their grandmother loved them.”
There was not a dry eye in the shop.
That moment reminded me exactly why we do what we do.
Anne: This is also a hard question to answer. I think any interaction having to do with a Bunny 911 is my favorite. These are the times when you help a customer and they are real NEED. You ALWAYS hear an interesting or cherish memory as you are helping a customer. When the transaction is over you know you have really helped someone. They are so happy and then it makes you feel so happy.
What would you tell customers about our brand?
Krystal: We're celebrating 40 years of love, creativity, and joy. n
Suzanne: Being a women owned company we are all about family, hope and healing. A true hareytale that we tell through our stories and the soft bunnies and friends that hopefully give glad dreams to young, old and everyone in between, even our furry friends.
Jeanne: In many ways, it isn’t a business in the traditional sense. Of course ,we make products and run a company, but our purpose goes deeper than that.
At our core, our mission has always been to provide comfort and security to people who are hurting—especially children. Every bunny, blanket, and lovey carries that intention.
We like to say that what we give the world is “Glad Dreams.”
Anne: Each one of us do our best everyday to bring a Glad Dream or a Surprise and Delight moment. We all prioritize the mission of Giving Glad Dreams, or how the best way to help yourself is to do a kind thing for someone else. Yes, we need to make sure in our business we come out “ in the black” this is critical necessity to pursue the mission of Giving Glad Dreams.